No. 50 Squadron Royal Air Force In World War Two The Diary of a WWII Bomber Squadron- Part 5, 1942 to 1943. INTRODUCTION This document is a pastiche of copied information; it does not purport to be original in any way. It is therefore without copyright. It simply chronicles certain events from the Squadron’s formation in 1939 onward. The basic concept began with extracts from official documents titled AIR/ 485, 486 & 487, the Squadron Operational Record Books (Form 540 and Appendices Form 541) held by the National Archives at Kew, London which were originally available only for personal viewing at the Archives but which are now available on-line (for a fee). These records very briefly summarise each ‘operational’ mission. Overlaid on this was information on the human losses suffered by 50 Squadron taken from the painstakingly researched and meticulously produced document by Flt. Lt. P.C. Jacobs, RAF and the No. 50 and No. 61 Squadron Association, the “Roll Of Honour 1939 – 1945”. Finally, further information garnered from Internet and journal sources has been over-laid to expand on some of the incidents recorded briefly, by necessity, in these Operational Record Books. Wherever possible, first hand accounts have been referenced. Such is the nature of a document such as this, written some 70 years after the event, that accounts published by some authoritative, and some not so authoritative, sources have had to be taken at face value. Responsibility for any inaccuracies is accepted by the ‘author’ but I have tried to cross reference as much information as possible within the constraints of budget (i.e. zero) and time (i.e. not much). The bottom line is that no account such as this can be taken as 100% accurate. It is hoped this document may help anyone curious in the events that followed the declaration of war in Europe in 1939 with particular relevance to No. 50 Squadron, Bomber Command, Royal Air Force. Plain text is the ‘authors’ interpretation. Text in Italics is a quotation taken verbatim from the original source or record. Sources are listed at the end of this document. These were very brave men indeed. “We will remember them”. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 1 INTRODUCTION PAGE 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 2- 84 PART 5 , THE LONG SLOG BEGINS PAGE 85- 86 ACKOWLEDGEMENTS Issue 1, 2 July 2016 1 No. 50 Squadron Royal Air Force In World War Two The Diary of a WWII Bomber Squadron- Part 5, 1942 to 1943. PART 5- THE LONG SLOG BEGINS 1943 January 1943, Based R.A.F. Skellingthorpe, Lincoln. Overview. The Bombing Offensive continues apace against European Industrial targets with mining of sea- ways also a frequent tasking. This month the ‘Casablanca Directive’ is issued setting out the future strategy for the Allied Bombing offensive; the directive does not come into force until February however. Bomber Command is to continue mainly night operations; the USAAF is to perform High altitude daylight precision strikes. The first use of Bomber Command’s specialist Pathfinder Force (PFF) ‘Target Indicators’ or T.I.’s (Coloured flares to mark targets for the main force) by the Squadron occurs on the Duisburg raid this month. In addition, the PFF use the new airborne ground mapping radar, H2S, for the first time. Also, the arrival of improved B. Mk. III Lancaster aircraft to replace battle-weary B. Mk. Is’ is noted. The Squadron is still commanded by W/ C W. M. Russell, DFC. Movements in and out of the Squadron consists mainly of comings and goings to the H.C.U.'s with one Navigator posted to 109 Squadron and one Officer posted to No. 25 O.T.U. Lincolnshire weather is very poor this month with rain making grass fields slippery and snowstorms with poor visibility common. Gales are also a feature later in the month; all this makes for many flying accidents this month across the Counties' airfields. 2/3 January 1943- Gardening in the DEODARS and FURZE areas. This evening, 7 Lancaster’s took off to drop sea-mines; 6 in the Bordeaux area, one in the St. Jean de Luz area. Five aircraft successfully completed their mission, one returned early due to a sick crew-member with a second suffering an engine failure. All returned safely to base. 8 January 1943- Night Bombing ESSEN Early this morning Three aircraft successfully bombed ESSEN, using PFF T.I.'s as the cloud was so thick ground features could not be recognised. One aircraft was holed by fierce accurate FLAK over the target but all returned safely to Base around 8am. 8 January 1943- Night Gardening in NECTARINE area. This evening, three aircraft took off to mine in the Frisian Islands area. One aircraft returned early due to an engine CSU failure. No losses with all returning before 10pm. 2 No. 50 Squadron Royal Air Force In World War Two The Diary of a WWII Bomber Squadron- Part 5, 1942 to 1943. January 1943, Based R.A.F. Skellingthorpe, Lincoln. 8 January 1943- Night bombing DUISBERG Five further aircraft departed Skellingthorpe tonight for a bombing mission to DUISBERG; only Four were to return. The mission was fraught, with one crew reporting being attacked by a night fighter and, having evaded it pressed on to bomb the target. In 10/ 10 cloud, four aircraft bombed the area using PFF Flares once more although results could not be confirmed, and returned to base safely. Two aircraft reported seeing an aircraft being shot down over the target at roughly the same altitude; as coloured flares could be seen exploding it was assumed that this was the sad demise of a PFF aircraft. FLAK defences around DUISBERG were ferocious but not yet 'predicted' in type. Lancaster B. Mk. 1 coded VN-T, W4800 Failed To Return. Very few details of the aircraft's fate are known however it is believed the aircraft crashed near Düsseldorf. All aboard were killed. Crew details: Pilot 1293092 F/Sgt. Joseph KIERNAN (promoted posthumously), RAFVR GRAVE 14.C.10 AG R102350 F/Sgt. Harold George DYER, RCAF aged 20 GRAVE 14.C. 9 F/Eng. 644404 Sgt. Phillip Stanley FISHER, RAF aged 23 GRAVE 14.C.11 Navigator 103831P/O Oswald Theodore Percy KING, RAFVR ) WOP/ AG Sgt. Eric Charles MANTELL RAFVR aged 20 ) JOINT GRAVE 14.C.12 AG 1538483 Sgt. Kenneth HALL RAFVR aged 20 GRAVE 14.C.14 Observer 404574 Sgt. Ernest Arthur SISSON, RNZAF aged 28. GRAVE 14.C.13 All are interred in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. They would have been brought into this cemetery from their original resting places, as Reichswald is a post-war cemetery. 9 January 1943 During a night cross-country exercise, Lancaster B. Mk. III ED394 VN-R crashed while attempting to land at RAF Crosby-On-Eden airfield (now Carlisle Lake District Airport), Brampton, Cumbria killing four of the crew. Three others were thrown clear but one, Sgt. L.A. Smith, subsequently died while in Carlisle Hospital on the 13 January. It is believed that the aircraft had been diverted to Crosby due to fog in Lincolnshire; there was no operational flying on this night. After attempting a landing, the aircraft crashed in a field, sliding for some half a mile disintegrating as it did so; at this point the survivors were thrown clear. It then crossed a country lane (Old Church Lane) and finally hit a solid stone-built barn, part of Kirby Moor Farm. The aircraft then exploded on impact, catching fire and peppering the area with ammunition. The farm later became a Hotel and is now (2016) Kirby Moor School. 3 No. 50 Squadron Royal Air Force In World War Two The Diary of a WWII Bomber Squadron- Part 5, 1942 to 1943. January 1943, Based R.A.F. Skellingthorpe, Lincoln. 9 January 1943 Ctd. Those “killed in a flying accident” aboard ED394, VN-R were: F/E 617248 Sgt. Thomas (Tommy) HARROWER RAF, age 26, buried in Kirkintilloch Auld Isle cemetery, Dunbartonshire, Sec. E Plot C Grave 22 and AG 1585578 Sgt. Herbert John HUXHAM RAFVR, age 20, buried Chulmleigh St. Mary Magdalene Churchyard, Chulmleigh, Devon and Bom./Nav 759008 W.O. Guy SUNLEY RAFVR, Age 26, buried Carlisle Dalston Road Cemetery, Cumberland Ward 11 Sec. P Grave 47 and Navigator 1314232 Sgt. Struan Anthony LANGLEY-ELLIS RAFVR, buried in Sherbourne Cemetery, Dorset Sec. A.2 Grave 19, and Pilot 1312940 Sgt. Leslie Alfred SMITH RAFVR, age 29, buried Great Crosby, St. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Churchyard, Lancashire Sec. D Grave 132. Leslie died in Carlisle Hospital from injuries sustained in this crash, on 13 th January 1943. AG 1193203 Sgt. Thomas Arthur Williams was seriously injured and hospitalised but survived; AG 1054801 Sgt. George Alfred Hodgson was amazingly only slightly injured and received treatment at the local Brampton Memorial Hospital. 11 January 1943- Night Bombing ESSEN In an early evening raid, Five aircraft took off to attack ESSEN; In poor weather, Four aircraft bombed the target area while one returned early due to guns failing to operate. Once again, PFF T.I.'s were used and indeed needed due to cloud and ground haze. FLAK was put up in 'Barrage' fashion and, once again it was reported by crews that yet another PFF aircraft was believed to have been witnessed being shot down in flames over the target. All Squadron aircraft returned safely. 13 January 1943- Night bombing ESSEN Four aircraft this morning left in the early hours to attack ESSEN once more, with three aircraft bombing the target, again in poor weather and visibility with 10/10 cloud cover.